Forgotten Goodbyes
by cutecumbers
Summary: When the prophecy was made, it was declared that it would be safest to ship Harry off with an unknown couple declaring them his parents. Lily and James, heartbroken, can only hope that someday they'll be reunited with their son. AU.
1. Prologue

_**Forgotten**__**Goodbyes**_

_Lily POV:_

You know you have to do it. For the safety of him. For the safety of you. For the safety of James, your friends, the _world_.

You don't want too.

But you have too.

You had two weeks. Two. Measly. Weeks. But that's all it took for you to fall in love with him. They told you it would be harder to let go if you did this, that you were only causing yourself even more trouble. But you didn't care. Harry was your baby, no one else's. You deserved to get to know him. You carried him; felt him inside you for nine months. He's your child, no matter where he goes, what happens, whatever sick people feel the need to take him away from you.

Two weeks.

You wouldn't trade them for the world.

He's got your eyes. That's really the only way you can tell he's yours. Maybe by those few freckles around his nose, too, but other than that, he's almost an exact replica of James. Black, messy tuft of hair, nose, even the shape of his chin is the same. Not that you mind, at least you know he'll look good when he's older. Not that you'll get to see him then, though. Just to reassure yourself.

He's sleeping peacefully in your arms, his tiny eyelids fluttering. Just the sight of it makes your heart melt. He's so young, so innocent, blissfully unaware of the actual chaos going on around him. People dying left and right, losing the ones most close to you just because of some big, stupid, prat who feels the need to take away everyone's happiness, just to give himself the satisfaction that he can. He's the reason you won't get to watch your baby grow up. And you can't stand it.

As your little boy starts to stir in your arms, you look down. Your same green eyes stare back at you. You can't help but let a tear run down your cheek. You know you'll miss him, and that giving him up will be the most difficult thing you've ever done. As your husband comes and wraps his arms around the both of you, you let the tears fall freely. As he starts to take Harry from you, your tears turn in to full-blown sobs. He tells you to get some sleep, that tomorrow will be a big day and that you've done the most you could've possibly done to make her last few hours with Harry special. But you can't sleep knowing your little boy will be grasped from your clutches, and there's not a thing you can do about it. You don't sleep that night. You stay wrapped in your husband's arms watching your baby sleep across your chest, amazingly not fussing and falling right back to the deep sleep he was in just minutes before.

You wake up the next morning, dreading what's coming. You get dressed almost zombie-like, moving at an extremely slow pace. After brushing your teeth and combing your hair, you see your husband standing near the doorway, with Harry playing with his hair falling free around his face. You watch as a single tear slips down his cheek. You know this breaks his tough exterior. Letting his emotions show through, the single tear runs down his cheek and plops on to your son's chest.

You both walk out the door and in to the car you had bought recently after seeing how using magic was actually becoming more of a hazard than convenience. The car ride is silent. James drives and you clutch your baby to your chest as if you held him any looser, he would be gone. In your situation, this is metaphorically the truth.

When you reach your destination, it takes all you have in you to not have an emotional breakdown on the spot. You start to get out of the car as you see the couple that has come to steal your child away from you. You know this is for the best, and that you're doing it for him. But you can't help but think that this isn't the way it's supposed to be.

James has to literally pry Harry out of your hands, because you can't let go. Before he hands him over to the couple, you shower him in kisses and tell him you love him. You see the couple walk away with hints of joy on their faces upon receiving the adorable child. Even though he's fussing for his mother, the couple almost seems unaware of his distress. She knows he's crying for her. And it's all she can do to not run after them and take the child that is rightfully hers.

James leads you back to the car. You buckle your seatbelt and try to fight the cold, empty feeling gnawing at your soul. That's when you can't handle it anymore. That's when you crack. You go in to a full-blow emotional breakdown, sobs racking through out your whole body. James pulls over to the side of the road, gets out of the car, and goes and pulls you on to his lap as you cry in to his shoulder. You're probably ruining his shirt, but you can't think about that right now. All you can think about is your little baby that you'll probably never get to see again.

He'll never remember you. He won't recognize you if you're walking down the street, even though you're almost one hundred percent sure you'll recognize him. The thought of this kills you and brings you to even more tears. After very long, painful, agonizing minutes, James tells you that you both have to get home and get some rest.

When you arrive at your doorstep, it's then that you realize that you won't be able to get any sleep. There's a void in your heart, one that only that little boy can fill. When you finally lay down on your bed, wrapped in your husband's arms, you think of how much you'll miss him. You'll never forget him, even though he'll forget you. You'll just be on his long list of forgotten goodbyes.

**AN: **Love it? Hate it? Should I continue it? REVIEW and tell me what you think! (:


	2. Safe

**AN**: A few things- 1. Thanks for all your feedback! I _extremely _appreciate it! 2 favorite author alerts, 9 favorite story alerts, 8 story alerts & 5 reviews! Thank you so much! (: 2. From now on I'm going to try to keep the point of view alternating between Harry, Lily, and _maybe_ James – and writing in third person. It might change over the course of the story & I might add more people to that list- I'm not entirely sure yet. 3. **The rating of the story has changed over from T to M**- I'm sorry if you don't like/are not allowed to read stories with such a rating, and I understand if you do not continue reading this story. However, I plan on listing the warnings in the beginning of each chapter, just so you're prepared for what's ahead. Lastly, the lines I made to separate a point in time seemed to disappear last chapter. So instead I'll be using this in substitute of a line: **xXx**.

_**WARNINGS**__**:**_ Vulgar language, abuse.

All right, onwards with the story, my amazing readers! (;

**xXx**

_Forgotten__Goodbyes_

_Ten Years Later- Harry POV:_

Harry was in the corner of the bathroom, lights off, door locked, knees hugged tightly to his chest. He'd been through the routine many times, now growing used to the feeling of being utterly, completely alone. Since Mummy had disappeared, no one had really been there to comfort him, to tell him things were fine when he had doubt that they weren't, and most importantly, keep Daddy under control. But Mummy wasn't here now, and that was the reason Harry was there in the first place.

Harry has no idea where Mummy went. One day after coming home from his second week of 3rd grade, his eyes met him with the sight of Daddy crying on the floor, sobs over taking him. When he asked him what happened he roared, "Go in to your room! _Now!_ And don't come out until I say so!" Harry didn't leave his room for two days. He just sat there and cried, missing his Mummy, wanting to his Daddy to come in and say he didn't mean it. That everything was going to be okay.

But that didn't happen.

He didn't go to school since. His Daddy told him that school was for pussys, even though he had no idea what _that_ meant. He just assumed that it was something his Daddy didn't like, and that was why he hadn't been to school since.

All of the sudden, Harry heard knocking on the door. He heard his Daddy shout, "Open the door, I have a surprise for you!" in a false-happy tone. Even though Harry didn't know many things, he most definitely knew what _that_ meant. Whenever Daddy said he had a surprise for him, it usually ended up with Harry being bruised, broken, and sometimes burned. Harry had tried to grow numb from the constant pain, but each time his Daddy got like this it opened up a new wound; one both emotional and physically. It reminded him of how his Mummy wasn't there to protect him and that he was that he was alone. It reminded him that there was no one left in the world that loved him. And it reminded him of every beating his daddy had ever given him, making it feel as if it had just happened and hurting Harry further.

Harry heard the door creak open, and in stepped his Daddy, black stubble, matted black hair, dark brown eyes, stained white tee shirt and blue torn jeans. He was carrying a belt. Harry's daddy knew Harry hated the belt the most. The reason? It was the first item his Daddy had ever beaten him with, even before he used his body.

His Daddy threw down the belt, and Harry only let a bit of hope grow inside him. Was his Daddy coming to apologize? Had he changed his mind about beating Harry? His Daddy must have seen the hope in his eyes because he immediately spat, "Up. _Now_." In the most menacing tone Harry had ever heard. He shakily got up, just as his Daddy grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him back to the ground.

Harry heard a _crack_, along with a sharp pain in his right wrist. "Ah!" he cried out, rather loudly. The pain in his wrist was excruciating, one of the worst pains his Daddy had ever inflicted on him. A few hot tears slid down his cheek, and he immediately shut his eyes tight to stop the tears and distract him from the pain.

"Shut the fuck up!" his father said, kicking Harry's side, earning another yelp of pain from him. "Did you not hear me? I said shut. The. Fuck. Up!" his Dad screamed, slapping Harry across his face hard. Harry bit his lip hard as to refrain from crying out, and tasted blood. His Daddy never hit him _this_ hard. Tears stung his face, and the taste of blood filled his mouth. Harry wished for anything to stop this pain. He wished his Mummy would come back. He wished Daddy would stop hurting him. He wished the pain would go away. He wished, he wished, he wished. But it never came true.

Another kick. Another slap. More bruises. More bleeding. Harry cries out more, he gets hit twice as much. When Harry was hoping he was almost done, his Daddy picked him up, and held him two inches away from his face and whispered harshly "You're lucky I kept you. You're lucky you're even here right now. Stop being so damn ig-" Just as he was about to finish his sentence a loud knocking sounded from the front door.

"Open up!" An unfamiliar voice yelled from the other side of the door.

His Daddy threw him back on to the floor. "Stay here. And not. A. Sound." Harry quickly crawled back in to the corner, his body aching, barely able to make it there. He tucked his knees in to his chest. He heard his Daddy open the door and he fretfully waited for his Daddy to return. He couldn't hear much, as he was upstairs and his daddy and whoever was at the door was downstairs. When he finally heard muffled footsteps coming up the stairs, he quickly tried to make himself as small as possible, hoping his Daddy wouldn't notice him if he came back to hurt Harry further. However, when he heard the door creak open, he looked up to see an unfamiliar face meet his eyes.

This face was of a woman, a very pretty woman, with red hair, porcelain skin, freckles, and emerald green eyes much like his own. Harry was starting to get a bit nervous. Who were these people? Where was his Daddy? Had his Daddy hired these people to help him hurt Harry even further? These thoughts horrified Harry, and as a few tears started to drip down his face, he tried backing up and hiding himself from view.

"Who are you?" Harry asked in a hushed whisper, voice trembling. "Where's my Daddy?" Harry asked again, voice rising to a higher octave. "Have you come to... to hurt me?" he asked, voice lowering, head falling down towards his knees.

"No." The woman said her voice gentle and caring. "I'm not coming to hurt you, I'm coming to help you." As she got closer to Harry he saw her eyes start to tear up and Harry wondered why she was crying, too. Had his Daddy hurt her as well when she entered his home? Is that why she came up here with Harry- to hide? But as the woman developed him in a very warm, gentle hug, Harry felt safer than he had in years. It felt like it was his Mummy, giving him hugs when he was younger.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." The woman said holding out a hand to help Harry up. Harry couldn't help but stay a bit on the fence with this new stranger coming in to his house, telling him to leave. What about his Daddy? Would he be coming too?

"What about my Daddy?" Harry asked in his child-like voice.

"Your Daddy... is going away for a while." The woman said, looking as if she was choosing her words carefully. "You're going to come with me. I promise I'm here to help, not to hurt you." She said as if realizing Harry's nervousness.

Harry grabbed her hand and in the process of unsuccessfully trying to get up, he realized he was to hurt and weak to get up and walk on his own.

"I... I can't get up." Harry said in a small, defeated tone, head down in a glum sort of way.

"Here," the mysterious woman said, picking him up and carrying him. "Are you okay?" she asked, voice taking on a gentler tone. All Harry could muster up was a shake of the head. If this woman wasn't lying to Harry, Harry was being helped, hopefully by going to a better place. Maybe one where Harry could make friends, or even find his Mummy.

As the woman continued walking down the steps and out of the house, Harry realized how worn out he really was. As the woman started to rub his back, Harry pretended it was his Mummy rubbing his back, giving him a warm feeling inside. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt safe.

**xXx**

**AN:** So... what did you think? Improvement from the first chapter? Worse? The same? I personally felt the end was a bit rushed, but I _really_ wanted to get this chapter finished for you guys! So review and tell me what you thought! (:


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